Call us at 1-833-252-2737 (TTY 711)

8AM-8PM Monday-Friday

Call us at 1-833-252-2737 (TTY 711)

8AM-8PM Monday-Friday
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/570e35b01d07c0cbf8f6a375/t/65158e5697c7286a83ff9c98/1695911510295/CLH-28136_CenterLight-Pace_Logo_Horz_Color-Full_CMYK.png

A History of Caring

Over 100 years ago, CenterLight Health System’s parent organization was founded by Bertha Alperstein. Her vision inspired the construction of a simple wood-frame house built as a safe haven for Jewish individuals once confined to New York City’s hospital on Blackwell Island (now Roosevelt Island) as a result of the 1920 influenza pandemic. With the help of a handful of determined women, she created a 60-bed refuge for the Jewish community of the Bronx, offering nutritious food, quality recreation, and nursing care.

Bertha Alperstein stands in front of the facility she founded in 1920.

In honor of National Jewish American Heritage Month, we would like to pay homage to Bertha Alperstein and our organization’s humble beginnings. More than a century later and in the heels of another global pandemic, CenterLight now serves more than 3,000 New Yorkers of varied cultural backgrounds each day.

Through the many changes in the healthcare industry and world-wide events, our services have, and continue to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of older adults in our communities. Our Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), one of the oldest and the largest non-profit PACE program in the country, aims to provide care that helps our participants stay healthy and living safely in their homes. But our mission remains the same since all those years ago—our talented, compassionate, and diverse staff provide care with the goal of helping enrich the lives of those we serve.

We work in an organization that has a rich history of helping those in need. I am proud that together, we are continuing this legacy. With the CenterLight team’s unwavering dedication, we can make a difference in improving the quality of life of thousands more in the years to come.  

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Last updated May 18, 2022

About the Writer

Tara Buonocore-Rut is the President and CEO of CenterLight Health System.


If you have questions, please call us at 1-833-252-2737, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. TTY users should call 711. You may also request a callback from one of our representatives by completing the form below: